FEATURE: Last month saw the launch of the Police Scotland Sikh Association, the latest addition to the National Police Sikh Association which has already successfully engaged with the Home Office on issues such as the wearing of the Kirpan and the use of face coverings during Covid; Policing Insight’s Martin Gallagher reports on the birth of a new organisation with a focus on support and engagement.

INTERVIEW: Following an article in Policing Insight in 2018, Cambridge University PhD Researcher Emily Quin began exploring the idea of the ‘copper’s nose’, and how any policing ‘sixth sense’ could be defined and measured; she spoke to Policing Insight’s Martin Gallagher – author of the original piece – about her work so far, the importance of talking directly to officers, and what the eventual findings could mean for policing.

INTERVIEW: In recent years – and particularly since the Covid pandemic – the levels of public trust and confidence in policing in the UK have shown a worrying decline; Policing Insight’s Martin Gallagher spoke to Prof Ros Searle, an occupational psychologist and specialist in organisational trust, about the challenges facing policing, and what it can do around recruitment and leadership to rebuild that trust and confidence.

INTERVIEW: Sectarianism in Scotland remains a largely hidden problem, only usually hitting the headlines when tied to football violence or tensions at religious parades, but it’s an issue that policing has to confront on a regular basis; Policing Insight’s Martin Gallagher spoke to subject specialists Dr Michael Rosie of the University of Edinburgh and Professor Mark Boyle of Ireland’s Maynooth University about the background to Scottish sectarianism, what more could be done to tackle the issue, and what challenges it holds for policing in Scotland in the future.

INTERVIEW: British journalist and author Ioan Grillo has reported on the cartels and organised crime gangs of Mexico and Central America for more than 20 years; he spoke to Policing Insight’s Martin Gallagher about reporting on extreme violence (there were 43,000 murders in Mexico last year), the parallels between Central America and the UK, and what motivates him in his work.